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A key operator specialized in the transshipment of oil products in the port of St. Petersburg - JSC Petersburg Oil Terminal - has announced its annual volume figures for 2008.

Over the 12 month period ending December 2008, the company transshipped 11.8 million tonnes of oil products, 300,0000 tonnes more than in 2007.

The terminal said that 8.4 million tonnes of dirty oil products were handled last year, a figure which includes high viscosity fuel oil.

In December 2008 the company handled 0.9 million tons of oil products - 13,000 tonnes more than the same month last year - including 595,000 tonnes of dirty oil products.

JSC Petersburg Oil Terminal (POT) operates the largest Russian terminal for oil products in the Baltic Sea region.

The company is involved in the transshipment and storage of oil products for export, as well as bunkering. It also carries out fuel quality analysis and treats slops discharged from vessels calling at the port of St. Petersburg.

The terminal complex is equipped to accept delivery of both clean and dirty oil products, including high viscosity fuel oil. The annual throughput capacity of the terminal is approximately 12 million tons.

Oil products are delivered to the terminal by rail, pipeline and by water. Loading is via sea vessels and road transport.

The modern shore tanks of the terminal have a capacity of 354 000 m3 and can store a wide variety of oil products. According to POT, there is no requirement for a clear-cut division into dirty and clean shore tanks as the tanks are general purpose and can be switched from one type of oil product to another at short notice.